


The Viking in the Lake

by F1_rabbit



Series: Valhalla [2]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Vikings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-01 17:26:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8632153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_rabbit/pseuds/F1_rabbit
Summary: As a child, Marcus was pulled out of a lake, barely conscious and with no memory of how he got there or where his parents were. But he's put it all behind him, because now a loving family have taken him in, and he has a bright future ahead of him.[This is Marcus' backstory from the fic Valhalla.]





	1. Water

Marcus couldn't hear anything apart from the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. The wind was rushing past him, pushing him away as he ran towards the throng of people all fighting for their lives.

He was so young, too young for this, but there was no-one else for his family to send. Marcus raised his sword, he was going to make his family proud, and he lunged for a man, his lanky arms barely able to cling on to his sword when it made contact, knocking the man's sword out of his hand.

The man stumbled back on to the floor, unable to reach his sword, and Marcus pounced, ready to send him to Valhalla.

There was a blinding white light, and Marcus shielded his eyes, trying to find the source of it, but he saw nothing.

*

Marcus felt someone grabbing at him, his eyes flew open, and the murky water that surrounded him stung at his eyes.

He struggled against the hands that were tugging at his clothes, but his lungs were burning, desperate for oxygen as they gasped for air, inhaling water as his body's own reflexes worked against him.

The last thing that Marcus saw was people pulling him out of the lake, his body coughing out the water as his vision faded.

***

People asked a lot of questions, like how he ended up in the lake, and where his parents were. But he didn't know the answers.

Everything felt strange and unfamiliar, but he couldn't figure out why.

He was taken to a place with other children, those who didn't have anyone to look after them, and he wondered where his parents were, why they weren't looking after him, but he still didn't have any answers.

Lots of people came to visit him, but he never saw them again, not until Kerstin and Tomas came to meet him.

*

Kerstin had brought him books, lots of stories that had children just like him in them, and they all had happy endings. He was drawn to the stories that were set in the Viking ages, and he ended up finding all the books that he could about that era in the school library.

Each time that Kerstin and Tomas visited, he told them everything that he'd found out about the Vikings, and they always looked so happy to hear about it.

The day that he got to go home with them, and meet his two new little brothers, was the happiest day of his life.

He felt like he was home, and all the nights spent wondering where he came from faded into dark corners of his mind.

***

Marcus flourished with the love and support of his family, and he threw himself into his new surroundings. He joined the ice hockey team, and he studied hard, his goal to go to university so that he could find out everything about his favourite subject – the Vikings.

He was playing ice hockey with his brothers on the frozen lake by his house, letting them win as he made sure that they were safe.

The memory of being pulled out of the water had never left him, and as much as he loved swimming, he was still wary of open bodies of water, even when they were trapped beneath inches of ice.

They played until the sun started to set, the warm reds and oranges that lit up the clouds made Marcus smile as he herded his brothers in the direction of the house, carrying all the sticks as they trudged through the snow.

Marcus enjoyed every second that he got with his family, even mundane moments like this, sitting eating dinner as they all chatted about their day. He was going to miss this when he went to uni, but he had his heart set on it, and nothing was going to stop him.

***

The university was in a big city, and it was the first time that he'd ever been anywhere this busy, swathes of people all bustling around, mixed with the beautiful architecture.

Marcus was stunned by it all, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it, and he was glad that his family were here to help him move in.

His parents had been fussing over him for the entire drive, and now that he was here, he wished that he'd just got the train, it would have saved him an awkward goodbye.

He sat the last of his things down on his bed, boxes of textbooks that he'd acquired over the years, along with over a dozen notepads that had all of his research on the Vikings, and everything that he'd learned from various library books.

"We're so proud of you." His mum brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, and he felt the tears welling up in his eyes.

"I'm going to miss home." Marcus hugged his mum, and his dad and brothers joined the hug. He was surrounded by his family, and no matter where they were in the world, no matter how far away they were, they would always be his family.

"I love you guys."

*

Jo was sitting on his new bed, in his new halls, far away from home. It was the first time that he'd been away from home for any length of time, and now he was wondering why he hadn't just chosen to stay in Britain, be closer to his family, but the opportunity to study abroad was too good to refuse.

He picked up his crutch, carefully navigating his way down three flights of stairs to get to the phones at the bottom of the block.

The crutch resting against the wall, he fumbled in his pocket for change, only to realise that there was no dial tone. Jo checked the other two, but there was nothing, not even a strange chirping noise or the crackle of noise on the line.

He grabbed his crutch, heading off towards the twenty-four hour computer lab in the hope that he would at least be able to e-mail his family, tell them that he'd arrived safely.

Jo shivered at the cool evening air, even though the sun hadn’t long set, the frost was starting to form on the ground, and he took his time to walk across to the computer lab, not wanting to fall on his first day at university.

He made it one piece, and he had to wait a while to find a free computer, but it was worth it, as he managed to send them all a message, and he got to read all the messages from friends.

Although he was a long way from home, it wasn't going to be long until he was home again for Christmas, catching up with everyone and telling them all about his adventures in Malmö.

***

Marcus was loving every second of his course, but his classmates were starting to get sick of him. He always had an answer for the lecturer, and he always had questions at the end of the class when everyone else just wanted to leave. But he wasn't ever going to stop, he wanted to know every last detail about the Viking age.

Just as the class was coming to an end, Marcus was looking over the pictures that they had been given, but the caption on one of them was wrong.

Marcus put his hand up as the class let out a groan. "This picture, these were discovered at Birka."

He looked at the familiar pattern on the jewellery, and he knew that he was right.

The lecturer wandered over, his brow wrinkled as he studied the picture closely. "Are you sure?"

"I'm certain." Marcus smiled, but no-one else looked impressed.

"Let me check into it." The lecturer dismissed them all with a wave of his hand, and Marcus tried to figure out how he knew that, and where he'd read it.

That night he sat surrounded by his books, ranging from picture books that he'd had as a teenager, to big thick dusty textbooks that he'd found at second hand stores.

But he couldn't find anything that was even remotely close to the jewellery that he had seen in class. He was starting to think that his mind must have imagined it, got it confused with something similar, but if that was the case, it was the first time that he was wrong about something from the Viking ages.

Marcus was aware that he didn't know everything, but what he knew, he was certain of.

*

Two days later, his lecturer stopped him in the hallway, and he had a lot of questions for Marcus.

"How did you know they were from the Birka site?"

"I must have read it somewhere." Marcus couldn't find the exact one, but he had searched every book he could find, as well as searching the internet for academic journals about the recent excavation at the site.

"It's never been published, there was a mix up when the artefacts went to be catalogued." The lecturer stroked at his beard. "They had to pull all the documents out of storage to confirm what site they were found at."

"Oh." Marcus could feel his forehead wrinkling, he must have seen or heard it somewhere before. "Maybe I heard some of the researchers talking about it when I was on a dig last summer?"

The lecturer didn't look convinced, but Marcus couldn't think where else he might have found out something like that.

It was definitely curious.

***

Jo let out a groan, closing the textbook in defeat as he heard a similar noise come from his flatmate's room.

"How's the studying going?" Stoffel asked, peeking around his bedroom door.

"My brain is officially done for the night." Jo pushed the textbook to the side of his desk, grabbing his crutch as he wandered through to the living room. The sound of the kettle boiling filled the flat.

Stoffel appeared with two cups, and one of the emergency chocolate bars that were hidden at the back of the cupboard.

"Thank you." Jo smiled at the cup of tea, and the first sip had him feeling more human. "How long have you got until your first exam?" Jo asked, as Stoffel made himself comfy on the sofa.

"Monday, and then I've got eight more after that." Stoffel let out a little groan, and Jo felt sorry for him, but no-one decided to be a lawyer thinking that it was easy.

Jo was glad that he had easier exams, like quantum mechanics. Although he only had six exams, the rest of his modules were all coursework based, and that had been done and handed in.

At least he had a friend through it all, and if some of the horror stories that he'd heard about flatmates were true, he was just glad that Stoffel didn't have wild parties all night while he was trying to study.

They were both considered boring by the masses, but having seen the dropout rate so far, if that was the price that they had to pay for good grades, then it was worth it.

Both of them had other friends, groups that they were part of, as well as the group of mostly international students that they hung around with. That was what bound them, they were all a long way from home, but it was nice having people around who understood.

***

Four years had flown by for Marcus, and now he was finally done with his masters. His dissertation had been bound and handed in, and he was a free man.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do with himself for the rest of the day. The rest of his course were all off celebrating with their friends, but he wasn't quite one of them. He'd shown his face, wished everyone the best of luck for whatever they did next, and now he was strolling back towards the library, wanting to check out a few things that he was planning on using for his PhD.

Marcus shook his head, he'd only just finished one degree, and now he was thinking about the next. But that was what made him good at his subject, his unrelenting quest for knowledge.

The crack of a door slamming into someone roused him out of his thoughts, and before he could rush over to help, the man was lying on the ground, paper scattered everywhere as his crutch clattered to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Marcus helped him sit up against the wall, his deep blue eyes were wide and he felt like they were staring into his soul.

"Yes." The man felt at the bump on his head before wincing.

"What's your name?" Marcus was peering into his eyes, trying to see if he was concussed, but he seemed okay. Although he was going to have one hell of a bruise.

"Jo." The way that he smiled had Marcus smiling too, and he felt a blush creep on to his cheeks.

"I'm Marcus."

He handed Jo his crutch, before starting to pick up all the pieces of paper. They weren't too badly scuffed, and it didn't take them long to get all the wayward sheets gathered up.

Jo smiled as Marcus handed him back the last few pages, and he blushed as their hands met.

"Do you want a hand getting to the office?" Marcus asked, holding his arm out as though he was escorting Jo to a dance.

"Yes, thank you." Jo was still blushing, and Marcus felt his heart race every time that their eyes met.

Marcus was just glad to have a little more time with Jo, and he sat with him as he sorted it all back into the right order. He told him all the funny stories from the Viking ages, making him laugh as he worked away, and when it was finally done and handed in, Marcus knew that he had to make his move.

"Would you like to get a coffee with me?" Marcus couldn't stop smiling, he could feel the spark between them.

Jo smiled, the blush on his cheeks making his freckles stand out. "I'd love to."


	2. Air

Marcus carried the tray with the coffees and cakes, Jo moving carefully so that he didn't bump into anyone on the way to the table.

They found a quiet little table in the corner, away from the window, which meant that there were no distractions. Marcus found himself staring into Jo's eyes as he told him the story of how he moved here to study, just like him, and now he was staying here to do his PhD, just like him.

Jo told Marcus all about Stoffel, and how he was moving back to Belgium to qualify as a lawyer, but then Jo stopped talking, blushing as he sipped at his coffee.

"I haven't even asked where you're from." Jo blushed some more, and Marcus found it adorable.

"I'm from Sweden, home of the Vikings." Marcus laughed as he took another bite of his cake. "So, it was inevitable that I would want to study them."

It was easy chatting to each other after that, Marcus telling him about his little brothers and all their achievements. He was a proud big brother, and he was sure that Jo felt the same about his siblings.

The coffee shop was closing when they finally headed out, and Marcus offered to walk Jo home, their arms linked the entire way. Marcus felt his heart race as Jo's warm body pressed against his, using him as support as he made his way over the cobbles with his crutch.

They ended up staring at each other outside the block of flats that Jo lived in, neither brave enough to make the first move.

Marcus reached out to rest his hand on Jo's arm, he just wanted to watch the goose bumps appear on his skin.

"Thank you for today." Jo smiled, feeling at the bruise that was starting to form. "It was worth the bump on the head just to meet you."

Marcus felt his heart race again, and he stood on his tiptoes so that he could give Jo a tender kiss, a brief brush of lips on his reddened skin.

Jo let out a gasp, and Marcus found his fingers stroking his cheek. He pulled back just enough to see Jo smiling, his eyes already shut as he waited for Marcus to make his move.

Marcus leant in for a kiss, chaste at first but then he wrapped his arm around Jo's waist, holding him tight as he deepened the kiss, eating up all of the needy gasps and moans that fell from his lips.

"I've been thinking about that all afternoon," Marcus said, his nose touching Jo's as he went in for one last kiss.

"Me too." Jo smiled, blushing as Marcus gazed into his eyes, "Will I see you again?"

Marcus scribbled his number on a piece of paper, handing it over to Jo as they both blushed some more.

"Call me anytime."

Marcus wandered home with the biggest grin on his face, and he slept soundly, knowing that not only was he free for the summer, but that he'd met the man of his dreams.

***

Jo was awkwardly balancing against the kitchen worktop, his crutch only got in the way while cooking, and he wanted everything to be perfect for his date with Marcus.

They'd met up a couple of times for coffee, Jo always getting a kiss good night, even if it was one in the afternoon when they said goodbye. But now, they were having a proper date, and it was the last chance for Jo to see him before he went to work on a dig at Birka for the summer.

Jo had just got the lid on the pan of pasta when there was a knock on the door, and he grabbed his crutch as he practically hopped over to let Marcus in.

"Hi."

"Hi." Marcus leant in for a kiss, and Jo felt his heart flutter, happiness spreading through his veins just from the briefest meeting of their lips.

Jo stood back so that Marcus could come in, and he led him to the sofa, his hand automatically finding Marcus' as they wandered over.

"Would you like a beer?" Jo smiled as he fidgeted with his crutch,

"Yes please." Marcus blushed, watching as Jo wandered through to the kitchen, the sound of him dotting around brought a smile to his face, he'd never had anyone make a home cooked meal for him and it made him feel so loved.

Not that he'd told Jo that, it was still early in their relationship, and yet he knew it was true. There were times when he'd come close to just blurting it out, but he'd always caught himself just in time. He didn't want to scare Jo off, and he was sure that he was going to have plenty of time to spend with Jo when he got back from Birka.

Marcus had considered asking Jo to come with him, but it felt like it was too soon.

Jo reappeared with two beers balanced in his free hand, and he handed one to Marcus as he sat down next to him. "Cheers."

The bottles clinked as they hit, foam bubbling out of the top and they both rushed to catch it, laughing to themselves as they took a swig.

"It's really nice of you to cook for me," Marcus said, reaching out to rest his hand on Jo's knee. He looked up to see Jo gazing at him, his eyelashes fluttering as he leant in closer.

Marcus took the beer out of Jo's hand, setting them both down on the table as he went in for a kiss, running his hands through Jo's hair as he pulled him closer, his crutch clattering against the floor as Marcus dragged him on to his lap. His fingers fidgeting with the waistband of Jo's jeans as the kisses got more frantic, the moans more desperate until they were rutting against each other, the kisses sloppy as his hard cock rubbed against Jo's thigh.

Jo let out a pained groan, and Marcus froze, but Jo was smiling, his grin shining out as he nuzzled against him.

Marcus smiled, leaning up to kiss Jo again, and this time it was softer, less rushed. Each gasp had Marcus wanting more, leaving them both breathless. Their bodies tangled together as they sought out more, their hearts racing and Marcus' hand slid inside Jo's boxers, inching his way down as Jo's moans got louder.

And then Jo froze, sitting up as his eyes darted around the room.

"Oh fuck, I left the pasta on." Jo stumbled off the sofa, grabbing his crutch as he darted to the kitchen, the smell of smoke filling the living room and Marcus headed through to see if he could help.

The fizzle of cold water hitting the hot pan had steam billowing out, and Jo looked at the charred remains of the pasta with a grimace on his face.

"Pizza?" Marcus smiled, wandering over to give Jo a hug, and he held him tight until he was calm.

"Pizza sounds perfect."

***

Jo was spending the summer in the lab, helping with the little tasks that were deemed too menial for the professor. He liked it, getting to watch over the master's students as they started on their projects, even though that was him not too long ago.

It also made him look good to the professor that was going to be supervising his PhD, and although he knew that it shouldn't factor into his success, he wanted to show that he was cut out for a life in academia.

By the time that he got back to his flat it was late, and he knew that he should make dinner, but he just wanted to hear Marcus' voice.

He picked up his phone, and dialled the number from memory, each ring teasing him as he waited for Marcus to pick up.

"Hi."

"I've missed you." Jo compressed his lips, the words having escaped from his mind before he could think about them.

"I've missed you too."

Jo let out the breath that he'd been holding, he could hear Marcus smiling as he spoke and it filled his heart with joy.

Marcus told him all about what he'd done that day, and Jo listened to each and every word, fascinated by it all because it made Marcus happy. He loved hearing the excitement in his voice, and he knew that he would gladly listen to it forever.

Jo then told him everything that he'd got up to in the lab, even though he was sure that Marcus didn't understand all of it, but he listened to every word.

He wanted to scream 'I love you' down the phone, but he couldn't get the words out, and he ended the call with a simple goodbye, kissing at the receiver as he lay down to sleep.

Jo dreamt of Marcus, of having him close by and waking up in his arms.

It wasn't going to be long until they were together again.

***

Jo waited at the train station, checking the arrivals board as the numbers counted down for Marcus' train.

He felt the crackle of electricity in the air as he thought about seeing Marcus again. Talking on the phone just wasn't the same as having him nearby, and he couldn't wait until he was wrapped up in his arms.

Jo scanned the crowd that was flooding off the train, trying to spot his blond haired angel, but there was so many people, and he couldn't quite stand on his tiptoes without falling over.

He was starting to think that Marcus had missed his train, when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey beautiful."

Jo spun round to see Marcus standing there, smiling at the sight of him, and his heart raced as he rushed in for a hug. He squeezed Marcus tight, only letting him go when his balance failed him, and he had to rest his crutch on the ground.

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Jo leant in for a kiss, the briefest meeting of lips on the soft skin of Marcus' cheek, but it still made him blush.

Marcus reached out to hold his hand, his rucksack already on his back as he led Jo out of the station, and towards his flat.

They chatted away about what they'd been up to, even though they had spoken to each other just last night, it was nice to talk to them in person, actually see them smile as they told their stories.

The second that they were in the door Marcus set his bag down, before slipping off his shoes as Jo did the same.

There was no more talking, Marcus stared into Jo's eyes and saw the lust bubbling under the surface, the way that he bit his lip had his heart racing, and he went in for a kiss, gentle at first but then Jo let out a groan of pure pleasure. He dragged Jo in the direction of the bed, his hands fumbling with the button on his shorts as Jo stripped off his t-shirt, revealing his scars.

Marcus' fingers traced the faint lines as Jo squirmed, ticklish under his touch, and Marcus wriggled out of his jeans so that he was in just his boxers too.

"We don't have to do this," Marcus said, reaching out to hold Jo's hand as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"I want to… But only if you want to." Jo blushed, but Marcus knew just what to do to break the tension.

Marcus slipped out of his boxers, standing naked in front of Jo for the first time, letting him take it all in as his hard cock stood to attention, showing Jo how much he wanted him. "I want to."

He went in for another kiss, guiding Jo on to the bed as the kisses got more passionate, their bodies grinding together as Marcus tugged at the elastic of Jo's boxers, he wasn't going to last much longer if they carried on at this rate, and he slowly sat back, stroking the side of Jo's face as he trailed kisses over his hairy chest, pausing to lick at his nipples as each gasp and moan that fell from Jo's lips went straight to his cock.

Marcus teased at the elastic, kissing each inch of skin as it was revealed as he slid Jo's boxers down, freeing his massive erection, and Marcus could only stare in appreciation.

He knew exactly what he wanted, and he was glad that he had a few things stashed away for an occasion like this.

"I'll be right back." Marcus grinned, his eyes scrunched shut as he kneeled up, scrambling off the bed in the direction of the bathroom to find lube and a condom.

Jo smiled the second that he was back in the room, his eyes drawn to what Marcus had in his hands. Marcus leapt onto the bed, straddling Jo as he went in for a messy kiss, leading Jo's hand to the lube so that he knew exactly what Marcus wanted.

The click of the cap opening had Marcus smiling, their kisses sloppy as Jo tried to focus on the task at hand, and Marcus waited for Jo's slick fingers to make their way round to his hole. Jo's fingers were like fire, so warm against his sensitive skin, and Marcus nuzzled against Jo's neck, preparing himself for the feeling of Jo sliding inside him, brushing against that spot as he stroked the side of his face, waiting for Marcus to look at him.

Marcus was biting his lip, he was close to the edge and when Jo slid another finger in he felt his muscles flutter, his orgasm sneaking closer as he took a deep breath.

"No more teasing, I want you." Marcus reached out for the condom, tearing open the foil packet with his teeth and he rolled it onto Jo's hard cock as Jo gripped at the sheets, he wasn't the only one that was close.

Jo ran his hand through Marcus' hair, dragging him down for a kiss as he slid his fingers out, licking away the gasps as Marcus felt the loss, but he wasn't going to be empty for long.

Marcus sank down on Jo's cock, groaning out loud as he gripped Jo's shoulders, his face scrunched up in pleasure as he took a deep breath, relaxing around Jo.

It all felt perfect, as though they were meant to be.

"I love you." Jo froze, as Marcus' eyes flew open.

"I love you too." Marcus' smile morphed into a cheeky grin, and he started to rock his hips, getting faster with each thrust as they rushed noisily towards their climax, both grinning as Jo tried to keep up with Marcus' frantic pace.

Jo was caught off guard, Marcus came with a grunt, his body clenching around him, pushing him over the edge, leaving him limp on the bed, gasping for air as Marcus flopped down on top of him, his sweaty body pressed against him as he whispered 'I love you' over and over again.

When Jo caught his breath he rolled them so that he could stare into Marcus' eyes, stroking his hair off his forehead as they lay sated, their bodies still joined.

"Feel good?" Jo placed a kiss on the end of Marcus' nose, just to see his smile get bigger.

"It was perfect, because it was with you."

***

The months flew past and the evenings got darker as the days rushed towards Christmas.

Jo was cuddled up next to Marcus on the sofa, there was a film playing in the background but they were too busy talking to pay attention to it.

They were talking about everything, well, everything apart from the one thing that Jo had been waiting to ask Marcus. He'd been thinking about it for a while, but he'd never found the right time to ask.

So he was just going to blurt it out.

"Would you move in with me?"

Jo held his breath as he waited for Marcus to answer, his face confused as he processed what Jo had just said. But then the biggest smile crossed his face.

"Yes."

**Author's Note:**

> *and obviously none of this actually happened, it is all a figment of my twisted imagination ;)


End file.
